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Oct. 8 Brett Anderson workout day interview

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Q. How are you feeling physically right now?

BRETT ANDERSON: I'm good. It wasn't ideal getting hurt again. But I feel good and the postseason, who knows when we're going to get back here. You'd like to say you're going to get back here again. But you have to put the knicks and knacks away and get ready to play, because everybody has them at this point.

Q. How much does this start kind of feel like the goal that you've been going for, going through all the rehab with Tommy John and really going through these last couple of weeks dealing with this, how much does this culminate in your goal?

BRETT ANDERSON: Just getting back on the Big League mound was goal No. 1. I got past that point and I was feeling good with the way I was throwing, and then get to Detroit and have an oblique injury and you kind of have to do the process all over again just a shorter time frame. But it's going to be fun. I don't really know what to expect.
This series is kind of like a microcosm of our season. You've got two rookies and a guy that's been hurt 90 percent of the season. This team has handled adversity better than any team I've seen, so you wouldn't expect anything less.

Q. Is there comfort in knowing how you responded after your first playoff, that was even a longer layoff after all the rehab and knowing what you did then?

BRETT ANDERSON: Yeah, it wasn't like I came out and had terrible outings, I came back and did fairly well until I got hurt. I kind of take comfort in that. And hopefully I can have another outing against I did like Minnesota, I got ground balls, my pitch count was fairly efficient. See what happens and have some fun.

Q. In coming back this summer, can you identify what is the last thing was in terms of feeling like yourself again. And the second part is how are you a different pitcher now than you may have been before the elbow surgery?

BRETT ANDERSON: The last thing would probably be velo hasn't come back fully, it's come back a little bit with each start my command was fairly good, it wasn't like my command was the last thing to go. It was getting used to getting on the mound again and getting used to facing live hitters, getting over that hump and not only facing hitters, but Big League hitters.
What was the second part?

Q. How are you a different pitcher?

A.Oh, a different pitcher. I wouldn't say I'm too much of a different pitcher. My breaking ball is my bread and butter. I'll try to use my fastball to get ground balls and keep my pitch count down and get deeper in the ballgames. But it's being different. It's not like I have a different style or have a new pitch. I've lost some weight, so that's a big difference. I'm the same pitcher I was before for the most part.

Q. I'm guessing the crowds in the last home stand were bigger than you experienced. I assume it's going to be like that tomorrow. How do you feel like pitching in that environment, do you have to dial down the intensity a little bit?

BRETT ANDERSON: I don't think I'll have to dial it down. Our pitching staff is even keeled. It's not like I'm going to go out there and ground out for Jose Valverde for however innings my start is. It's going to be a fun atmosphere regardless of how many fans there are. It's still playoff baseball, and I'm sure there will be adrenaline rushing, and it will be fun to be part of it, fun to pitch here. A postseason game in Oakland, there hasn't been one for a while so I'm excited.

Q. You've been a part of this for a while, being down 0 2 in the season and being on the line. What's the responsibility you feel like just on you?

BRETT ANDERSON: Just continue to do what our starters have done the first two games. They've given us a chance to win. I like the way that I've been playing. We're down 0 2. We won three games in a row against the Rangers, and I don't see why we can't do it again.

Q. You were around the 100 mark before the elbow injury, and missed about three weeks. Do you think you'll be stretched out or will your pitch count be limited?

BRETT ANDERSON: I'm sure the game will dictate how that goes. If it's an early contact, and not high stress innings, I'm sure that will come into consideration. My bullpens have been strong. My arm feels it's a Catch 22. I took some time off with my oblique, so my arm feels good. But we'll let the game dictate what happens, but hopefully I'm out there for a while.

Q. Obviously Cabrera has had a lot of success in this series, what can you do or what can anybody else do to try to keep him off the basepaths?

BRETT ANDERSON: I've got to execute the pitches. Everybody is human. I don't think he got a hit the first game. It's not like he's going to bat a thousand. He's a tremendous hitter, won the Triple Crown. He's got to keep guys off base in front of him. If he does hurt you a solo home or a double with nobody on like the other guy. You've got to go out and execute pitches and get him out just like everybody else.